Thailand, the country which has had my heart for the past two years, the land of smiles, the land of beaches, hazy cities and sleepy mountain towns, the entire country always surprises me, with every visit the country and its people that I have grown to love, still to this day leaves me falling for it over and over again. This trip to Thailand has left me nothing less than in awe of this country again as I explored further afeild than before, a few weeks ago I extended my adventure North for the first time, to explore the cities and towns hidden by the Mountains; I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I approached Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand, another Bangkok, perhaps? I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Chiang Mai was easily one of the nicest cities that I have been fortunate enough to visit, unlike its Southern counterpart Chiang Mai has a laid back vibe to it, gone are the endless rows of people shouting “Taxi Taxi”, “Tuk Tuk”, “Ping Pong” in their place a quiet smooth running canal, looming mountains and countless temples. I was due to spend three days in the city, however I found myself there for just over a week, quite easily enjoying the slower pace of the city. What it’s lacking in Bangkok’s grittiness, it makes up in beauty, the following photos were taken as part of my first experience of Northern Thailand, a place that I’m looking forward to spending some more time in the future.
Have you ever been to Chiang Mai and Pai? How did you find the sleepy Northern territories of Thailand? Let me know in the comments below. I’m also over on Twitter and Instagram if you want to join in across social media.